New York: Cuomo outlines bold agenda for 2013

by jmaloni

Press release

Wed, Jan 9th 2013 11:00 pm

Builds
on progress of past two years by growing the economy, investing in
education, maintaining legacy as progressive capital of the nation,
and rising to meet challenges in the wake of Hurricane Sandy

Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo delivered his 2013 State of the State Address
Wednesday, outlining a comprehensive agenda that builds on the
progress of the past two years to attract good jobs and economic
growth, create a world-class education system that prepares the next
generation for the future, maintain fiscal integrity and discipline,
and continue to restore New York as the progressive capital of the
nation.

"New
York is on its way, coming back stronger than ever before, rising to
meet some of the biggest challenges in our history, remaining as a
progressive beacon of light to the rest of the nation, and standing
out as a model of effective government," Cuomo said. "Gone
are the anti-business, obstructionist, tax capital and gridlock
mentalities, replaced with an entrepreneurial government that
collaboratively works together for the people and partners with the
private sector to create jobs and get the economy back on track. The
agenda laid out today is a comprehensive plan for New York state to
rise to meet the challenges of today and the future, from confronting
the difficult issue of gun control, to reforming our education system
for the 21st century, and rebuilding our communities and
infrastructure after Hurricane Sandy. Our accomplishments over the
past two years show us that one thing is clear: We can defy the odds
and deny the naysayers, and we can accomplish anything together."

Cuomo
outlined the below initiatives as part of his State of the State
message. For more information, visit www.NYGetInvolved.com.

Economic
Development

This
year's economic development program will build upon the work of the
Regional Economic Development Councils as well as partnerships with
higher education, because New York's one-two punch is jobs and
education.

Tech
Transfer - from Academia to Commercialization: As many of the
country's most significant high-tech economic clusters owe their
success to technology transfer, the governor proposed steps to
accelerate the commercialization of good ideas and the creation of
new businesses to take them to market. Steps include:

•Innovation
Hot Spots: Ten higher education/private sector high-tech
incubators will be selected as "Hot Spots" through a competitive
process that fosters innovation by offering inventors and
entrepreneurs support to grow their businesses and to be part of a
tax-free zone, where start-ups will not be subject to business, real
property, and sales taxes, to encourage business growth in New York
state.

•Innovation
NY Network: To break down barriers to commercialization of
academic ideas, the governor proposed creating the Innovation NY
Network to build collaboration among academics, venture capitalists,
business leaders, patent lawyers and other professionals and
entrepreneurs to facilitate and grow the commercialization process.

•Innovation
Venture Capital Fund: A $50 million Innovation Venture Capital
Fund will provide incentives for successful start-ups to stay in the
state and grow. Support from the Innovation Venture Capital Fund will
help these entrepreneurs make the transition from research and other
ideas through prototyping and ultimately to the creation of
marketable products.

Reforming
Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance for Businesses and
Workers: To continue to lower the cost of doing business in New
York and reduce the crushing burden of unemployment insurance and
workers' compensation, the governor proposed reforms to both
systems that will save businesses $1.3 billion, while also increasing
unemployment insurance benefits to workers for the first time since
1999.

Making
New York the Leader in the Clean Tech Economy: To continue to
establish New York as a national leader in building a clean tech
economy program, the governor announced the following steps:

•NY
Green Bank: The $1 billion Green Bank will leverage public
dollars with a private sector match to spur the clean economy.

•Extend
NY-Sun Solar Jobs: The program will be expanded at $150 million
annually for 10 years to increase solar panel installations for homes
and businesses.

•Charge
NY Program: The Charge NY Program will invest in an electric car
network to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by installing a statewide
network of charging stations and providing charging infrastructure
tax credits.

Cabinet-Level
Energy Czar: To coordinate the state's clean-tech agenda and oversee
the state government's energy portfolio, the governor has named
Richard Kauffman, a senior advisor to the nation's Secretary of
Energy Steven Chu, to serve as a member of the cabinet as the
"Energy Czar."

Preparing
the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow: To retool New York's
workforce to be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow, the
governor proposed steps to re-imagine the SUNY and CUNY community
colleges to ensure the state's job training programs produce the
trained personnel that businesses need:

•Next
Generation Job Linkage Program: The governor outlined a Job
Linkage Program that will link community colleges with employers to
identify the job, to define the skill, and to provide the training
for it. The state will pay for performance by funding colleges based
on student job placement.

Market
NY to Focus on Upstate Economic Development: The governor
announced Market NY, a new multi-faceted marketing plan to bolster
upstate growth.

•Taste-NY:
The Taste-NY initiative will coordinate around promoting New York
products, including creating duty-free "Taste-NY" stores
across the state to promote New York grown and produced products.

•$5
Million Advertising Competition: A $5 million advertising
competition for the best regional marketing plans will be launched,
incentivizing counties to work together to forge regional synergies.

•The
Adirondack Challenge: Noting that New York has some of the best
whitewater rafting in the nation, the governor proposed a national
whitewater rafting competition to be held in the north country.

•Destination
Resorts/Casino Gaming: To increase upstate tourism, the governor
proposed a casino gaming plan that would locate up to three casinos
in upstate New York. Under the proposal, casino gaming revenue will
be split 90 percent for education and 10 percent for local property
tax relief.

Education

New
York's economic recovery and future strength is dependent on a
top-quality education system that prepares students to succeed in the
21st century economy. While tremendous progress has been made over
the past two years, there remains much more work to be done to meet
the educational needs of children and prepare them for the future.
Drawing on the work of the New NY Education Reform Commission, Cuomo
announced a comprehensive strategy to transform and modernize public
education.

More
Learning Time: Research shows that students who have more time to
learn have higher academic achievement than their peers. This is
apparent in schools across the country, where quality learning time
has been successfully and creatively expanded, resulting in
significant student performance gains, especially in low-income
communities. To help close the achievement gap, the governor
announced steps for students to spend more time learning.

•Extending
the School Day and/or Year: The governor proposed a new
competitive grant program for schools that develop initiatives to
improve student achievement that include extending learning time by
at least 25 percent and a high quality plan to achieve better
outcomes for students.

•Full-Day
Pre-Kindergarten for the Highest-Needs Students: With decades of
research showing that early childhood education has a major and
long-lasting impact on a child's future success, the governor
announced plans for the state to invest in high quality, full-day
pre-kindergarten, beginning with New York's highest-needs students.

Better
Teachers and Principals: Research suggests that teachers account
for one-third of a school's total impact on student achievement and
that principal leadership accounts for 25 percent. The Governor
announced that a district's school aid increase will continue to be
contingent on local adoption of an appropriate teacher evaluation
system agreed to by school districts and union leadership. In
addition, the Governor today announced steps for the state to better
recruit and retain the best and brightest to educate students,
provide teachers and principals with the support they need to be
successful, and continue to recognize and reward successful educators
throughout their career.

•Creating
a "Bar Exam" for Teachers: To ensure that the best and
the brightest are teaching children, the governor proposed increasing
admission standards for entry into educator preparation programs, and
implementing a "bar exam" that teachers must pass in order to
receive certification.

•Incentivizing
High Performing Teachers: High-performing "master teachers"
will receive $15,000 in supplemental income annually for four years
to teach other teachers. These master teachers will enhance their own
teaching methods and train other teachers to improve performance in
the classroom.

Education
in Distressed Communities: Recognizing that the demands of
schools in wealthier districts are different than those in lowest
wealth districts, the governor announced plans to improve education
and the resources offered by schools in New York's neediest
communities.

•Community
Schools: In neighborhoods in some of New York's neediest areas,
community schools - offering education plus health, employment,
after school, and other support services - serve as the hub for all
community services. The governor proposed to replicate successful
models such as Cincinnati Community Learning Centers, Harlem
Children's Zone, Say Yes to Education, and Strive Network in
distressed communities across New York state.

Round
3 of NYSUNY2020 and a New NYCUNY2020: The NYSUNY2020 initiative
has succeeded in leveraging the economic power of the state's
university system as a private sector job generator. The governor
proposed a third round of NYSUNY2020 and a first round of NYCUNY2020
that will offer additional grants for two- and four-year colleges and
universities within both the SUNY and CUNY systems. Projects will be
selected in a competitive manner based on economic impact,
advancement of academic goals, innovation and collaboration.

Progressive
Agenda

New
York has a long history of being a beacon for progressive change,
from the birthplace of the movement for women's rights, to worker
protections, to decent, affordable housing, intelligent environmental
protection and safe energy sources; and becoming the largest and most
influential state to extend marriage equality to all its citizens.
Yet there is much work to do, and this year's agenda calls for making
the state a fairer, more just place for all residents, with a focus
on expanding women's equality, ending racial injustice, and fighting
poverty.

Raising
the Minimum Wage: A reasonable minimum wage increases the
standard of living for workers, reduces poverty, incentivizes fair
and more efficient business practices, and ensures that the most
vulnerable members of the workforce can contribute to the economy.
New York's current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is below that of 19
other states and prior adjustments have not kept up with increases in
the cost of living. The governor proposed to raise the minimum wage
to $8.75 an hour.

Stop
and Frisk: While stop and frisk can play an important role in the
prevention of crime, there are also significant costs, including a
deterioration of relationships between community residents and law
enforcement, and the reality that stops fall disproportionately on
communities of color and, in particular, on the young.

•Marijuana
Possession: State law makes "open view" possession of 25
grams or less of marijuana a misdemeanor, while possession of the
same amount of marijuana in the home is a violation - a
non-criminal offense punishable by a fine. Police arrest 100 times
more people for this offense and these arrests comprise the single
largest category of arrests in New York City, accounting for 15
percent of all NYC arrests and 20 percent of NYC misdemeanors. The
effects of those arrests fall almost entirely on Black and Hispanic
individuals - 82 percent - and largely on the young: 52 percent
are under 25 and 69 percent are under 30. The governor announced
plans to bring parity to the law and decriminalize public view with
15 grams or less.

•Strengthening
Eyewitness Identification: The use of blind or double-blind photo
arrays can reduce the potential for the administrator of the array to
inadvertently influence the witness. Cuomo announced plans to
introduce legislation to permit eyewitness photo identification to be
introduced at trial only where a blind or double-blind identification
procedure has been used.

•Recording
Criminal Interrogations: In order to help prevent wrongful
convictions based on false confessions, as well as to protect law
enforcement from erroneous allegations of coercion, the governor
proposed requiring that interrogations of persons arrested for
serious offenses such as homicide, kidnapping and certain sex
offenses be recorded on video.

Create
the $1 Billion House NY Program: For the past two years, the
state has made major investments in the development of affordable
housing across New York as both a source of economic and community
development. The governor proposed the House NY program, consisting
of $1 billion to produce or preserve more than 14,000 units of
affordable housing over the next 5 years. As part of House NY, the
state will invest in the most successful affordable housing programs
to help meet unfulfilled housing need, as well as revitalize New
York's Mitchell-Lama Affordable Housing Program to rehabilitate
housing units that are suffering from deferred maintenance and other
physical deficiencies.

The
REDC Opportunity Agenda to Revitalize Poor Communities: The REDC
Opportunity Agenda will build on the success and expertise of the
Regional Economic Development Councils to help overcome the
challenges that prevent poor communities from fully participating in
the state's economic revitalization. Each Regional Council will
focus on one distressed community, identify strategies that will
address the challenges of concentrated poverty, and then be able to
competitively seek funding through a streamlined process.

Achieving
Equality for Women: New York has long served as a model for
equality and fairness on several issues including women's rights.
Cuomo announced plans to advance a 10-point Women's Equality Act
that will break down barriers that perpetuate discrimination and
inequality based on gender. The proposal will:

Protect
a woman's freedom of choice by enacting the reproductive health
act

Achieve
pay equity

Stop
sexual harassment in all workplaces

Allow
for the recovery of attorneys' fees in employment and credit and
lending cases

Fighting
Hunger in New York: To combat hunger in New York, Cuomo announced
an anti-hunger task force will be launched to increase participation
in federally funded anti-hunger programs, increase the use of New
York farm products and healthy foods in anti-hunger programs, and
facilitate private-sector efforts in partnership with the government
to meet the above goals.

Creating
"CORe" Neighborhoods: In New York state, distress is
concentrated in a small number of areas. For example, in a high-crime
neighborhood within Rochester, a black man between the ages of 15 and
29 is 33 times more likely to be murdered than in the rest of the
nation. In Newburgh, 37 percent of the population lives below the
poverty line and two-thirds of residents have no more than a high
school diploma. To confront this challenge, the governor proposed the
Community, Opportunity, Reinvestment (CORe) initiative to better
align state support with local needs, while supporting successful
community-based efforts, so that the state can do a better job
allocating resources to make measurable and sustained progress in
improving high-need communities.

Focus
on Public Health: The best way to improve the health of New
Yorkers and to lower health care costs is to avoid preventable
illness. While New York already expends considerable resources to
support a broad array of public health initiatives and is considered
a leader in this effort, the state needs to update programs and
policies to better respond to the emerging health care issues of an
increasingly complex social dynamic.

•New
York to Set the 'Gold Standard' for Patient Care: At the
governor's direction, the state will work with hospitals this year to
improve the quality and safety of care provided to patients at key
stages of hospital admission, treatment and discharge. On this front,
sepsis is a huge problem; striking at least 750,000 people in the
U.S. each year, it is the No. 1cause of death in U.S. hospitals, and
kills as many Americans annually as heart attacks, and more than
AIDS, prostate cancer, and breast cancer combined. Cuomo announced
New York will lead the nation by being the first state to require all
hospitals to adopt best practices - including an innovative
checklist modeled off a proposal by Harvard's Atul Gawande - for
the early identification and treatment of sepsis.

Public
Safety

From
an all-crimes DNA databank and one of the nation's toughest
texting-while-driving laws, to crackdowns on child pornography,
domestic violence and cyberbullying, New York has been on the
forefront of putting in place some of the strongest public safety
laws in the nation. However, with the nation still reeling from the
senseless massacre in Newtown, Conn., and New York still mourning the
loss of first responders in Webster's shooting tragedy, the state
must say enough is enough to gun violence.

Safe
and Fair Gun Policy: There have been far too many lives claimed
as a result of gun violence in recent years, from Columbine, to
Virginia Tech, Aurora, Newtown and Webster. New York once led the
way: "Sullivan's Law" of 1911 was the nation's first gun
control law - a model law that required a permit for possession of
a hand gun. The time has come to make New York safer and once again
lead the way for other states to follow.

•We
Must Pass the Toughest Assault Weapons Ban in the Country: New
York's ban on assault weapons is so riddled with loopholes and so
difficult to understand that it has become virtually unenforceable.
While state law bans magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds
of ammunition, the law exempts magazines manufactured prior to 1994.
Because magazines are not generally stamped with a serial number or
other mark that would identify the date of manufacture, it is
virtually impossible to determine whether a large capacity magazine
was manufactured prior to 1994. In order to fix this problem, the
governor proposed tightening assault weapons ban and eliminating
large capacity magazines regardless of date of manufacture.

•Preventing
Private Sales to Prohibited Persons: While New York mandates that
individuals buying guns from dealers or at gun shows be checked to
determine whether they have a criminal record, suffer from mental
illness, or otherwise are in a category of persons prohibited from
owning guns, no such checks are done when a gun is sold privately.
The governor announced he will propose requiring any sale in New York
state between private parties be subject to the same background
checks.

•Enhanced
Penalties: To effectively deter the flow and use of illegal guns
on the streets, the governor announced he will propose enhancing
penalties for those who illegally buy guns, for those who use guns on
school property, and for those who engage in violent and serious
drug-related gang activity.

•Reporting
by Mental Health Professionals: Cuomo announced he will propose
measures to ensure that when a mental health professional determines
that a firearm owner is likely to engage in conduct that would result
in serious harm to self or others, that risk may be reported and the
gun removed by law enforcement authorities.

•One
State, One Standard: Currently, licenses for handguns are issued
by the county in which the gun owner lives, many of which are valid
for life. As a result, while certain checks are run at the time a
license is issued, once a license is obtained, there is no subsequent
check to determine whether the holder is still eligible to own a gun.
The governor announced he will propose a single standard across the
state to ensure that appropriate checks can be run to bar convicted
felons and other prohibited people from possessing firearms.

•Combating
Gun Violence in the State's Most Violent Neighborhoods: The
state will continue to implement programs that successfully reduce
gun violence in high-crime neighborhoods. Pilot programs currently
under way that employ a series of actions, including law enforcement,
community members and service providers delivering a message that
conveys facts about the consequences of further violence, have
resulted in big reductions in gun violence over a short period of
time.

Staying
Ahead of the Game on Dangerous Designer Synthetic Drugs: To
continue the state's work to keep designer drugs off the streets and
out of the hands of children, the governor proposed plans to make
designer drugs like bath salts and synthetic marijuana Schedule I
drugs - on par with heroin, LSD, marijuana and ecstasy. Cuomo will
propose legislation to criminalize the sale and possession of these
substances, and ensure the laws provide flexibility to immediately
tackle the next iteration of designer drugs.

New
York State Cyber Security Initiative: There is no question that
cyber attacks pose a serious risk to the state and nation. The
governor announced that the state will launch a cyber security
initiative that will include the creation of a new,
first-in-the-nation facility that brings together monitoring of both
the cyber and physical aspects of critical infrastructure in New York
state.

Government
Reform

For
government to function and be effective, it must have the trust of
the people. The governor proposed a series of reforms to give New
Yorkers a stronger voice in government and strengthen the state's
democracy.

Campaign
Finance Reform: Currently, New York has the highest contribution
limits among states that limit them at all and the third lowest rate
of participation in campaigns. To rebuild trust in government, the
governor outlined a series of steps that will bring fairness and
greater disclosure to the state's campaign finance laws.

•Disclose
NY - The nation's most aggressive disclosure law: Current law
requires disclosure every six months to a year or, in some cases,
never. The laws should be amended so that any and all covered
contributions to a PAC, lobbying 501(c)(3), other 501(c)
organization, political committee, or political party more than $500
will be disclosed within 48 hours, and within 24 hours near Election
Day.

•Public
Financing of State Elections: Without public financing, New
York's political candidates rely on large donors far more than
small contributors. The governor proposed enacting public financing
of elections based on the model in place in New York City.

•Lower
Contribution Limits: For most offices, the state's contribution
limits are substantially higher compared to other states, ensuring
that large donors dominate major political campaigns. The governor
announced plans to lower New York state's contribution limits, with
even lower limits for those candidates who receive the benefits of
public matching financing.

Early
Voting Ensures Easy and Effective Voting: The governor proposed
that New York create an early voting system that is at least one week
long, and includes the weekend before a scheduled Election Day. Early
voting strengthens democracy by making it easier and more convenient
to vote and promotes higher voter turnout. It also reduces long lines
at polling sites and eases the administrative burden on boards of
elections on Election Day.

Make
Our Ballots More Readable: State election laws require that all
printed ballots contain numerous symbols, numbers and bits of text
that clutter the ballot and force election officials to use miniscule
font sizes. These laws need to be reformed to make ballots more
readable and more user-friendly.

OPEN
NY: To increase transparency, citizen engagement, and government
performance, Cuomo plans to launch OPEN NY, an easy, single-stop
electronic portal to provide public access to statewide and
agency-level data, reports, statistics, compilations and information.
This initiative will reap substantial benefits by making valuable
government data available to researchers, innovators, and the public,
leading to cost savings, improvements in government accountability
and collaboration, and enhanced trust in government.

Local
Government Finance: The governor proposed creating a financial
restructuring assistance program to offer advice to all counties,
cities, towns and villages to help restructure their finances. The
program will be run by a joint task force made up of the comptroller,
attorney general, division of budget, and private-sector
restructuring consultants.

Responding
to the Crisis

In
just two years, New Yorkers have witnessed firsthand the destructive
force of three powerful storms that have crippled the state: Irene,
Lee and most recently Sandy. Each has taken an immeasurable toll on
communities. Precious lives have been lost, and homes and businesses
destroyed. Extreme weather is the new normal. The governor outlined a
series of proposals for the state to fortify and upgrade the systems
that can paralyze us when they fail during an emergency, as well as
act to tackle the reality of a changing climate. These proposals draw
from the work of four commissions that the governor announced in
November: NYS Respond, NYS Ready, NYS 2100 and the Moreland
Commission on utility storm preparedness and response.

Lower
the Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap: Nine states including
New York participate in the CO2 cap and trade program. The current
cap is 165 million tons of CO2 and is well above the current
emissions level of 91 million tons of CO2. As CO2 emissions have
declined more than 30 percent since the cap was established, the
governor proposed lowering the cap on CO2 emissions to a level that
guarantees emissions will be reduced below current levels.

Increase
Alternative Local Renewable Power Sources: To reduce dependence
on centralized power plants and avoid outages, the governor proposed
increasing the use of alternative local power (distributed generation
of electricity) using renewable sources, natural gas and energy
storage.

Ensure
a Skilled Energy Workforce: To address a lack of young members of
the workforce with skills in the energy sector, the governor
announced the state will enhance efforts in workforce training by
expanding energy career training and placement programs and promoting
awareness of the need for skilled energy workers.

Improve
the Resilience of Our Buildings: The governor proposed updating
the state building code to promote smarter, resilient building
performance, as well as increased survivability. These changes would
impact new construction and major renovations to existing
construction, and would take into account the impact on different
geographies and building types and consider factors such as
effectiveness for protecting health and safety, as well as cost.

Provide
Assistance to Property Owners to Mitigate or Sell Properties in
Vulnerable Areas: Cuomo announced the state will use various
strategies to assist home and business owners whose properties were
damaged in Hurricane Sandy to mitigate for the future or, if they
choose to do so, to sell their properties and relocate.

•Recreate
NY-Smart Home: The Recreate NY-Smart Home program will provide
critical financial assistance to property owners to mitigate their
properties for future threats.

•Recreate
NY-Home Buyout:This program will be designed for homeowners who
want to relocate.

Ensure
that Health care Facilities are Resilient: The governor proposed
to update the Department of Health's review of applications for new
and substantial expansion of hospitals and nursing homes to consider
location and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Under the proposal,
health care facility applicants would be required to address the
risks associated with being in a vulnerable location.

Harden
our Infrastructure: The governor outlined a series of proposals
designed to harden New York's infrastructure to better withstand
future major storms.

•Toward
a More Resilient New York Harbor: To build a more resilient
harbor, a long-term strategy will need to be developed that includes
conserving and rebuilding natural systems that were lost to centuries
of man-made activity, plus the building of additional barriers where
needed. The state will work with other government partners to timely
complete a comprehensive engineering evaluation of proposals,
including potential barrier systems.

•Harden
our Fuel Delivery System: Redundancies must be built into the
fuel system, and generators and pumping systems must be readily
deployable. The governor proposed gas stations in strategic locations
be required to have on-site back-up power capacity to protect New
Yorkers from temporary disruptions in fuel supply.

•Harden
our Utilities: The Public Service Commission will require
utilities to submit detailed implementation plans to harden their
facilities, including raising substation walls and elevating
transformer installations.

•Strengthen
Wastewater Infrastructure: Flooding and storm surges from Lee,
Irene and Sandy resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of damage
to waste water treatment plants and the release of hundreds of
millions of gallons of raw and undertreated sewage. To prevent a
repeat of this scenario in the short-term, the existing wastewater
treatment plants need to be repaired and mitigated to withstand
higher flood levels.

Redesign
Our Power System: The electrical power grid and the structures
that control it must undergo a fundamental redesign that improves
performances and protects ratepayers.

•Strengthen
Public Service Commission's Regulatory and Enforcement Oversight:Based on the Moreland Commission's recommendations, the governor
proposed giving the Public Service Commission the regulatory and
enforcement teeth it needs to improve oversight and regulation of the
state's utilities.

•Abolish
the Long Island Power Authority: Hurricane Sandy revealed
systemic flaws and weaknesses in LIPA's structure. As recommended by
the Moreland Commission, the governor proposed privatizing Long
Island service, which will be overseen by a newly empowered PSC. The
new structure must protect ratepayers.

Effective
Emergency Response: Preparing for disasters and responding to
emergency events requires collaboration and coordination among local,
state and federal authorities; non-governmental organizations; and
the private sector, as well as skilled first responders and a network
of civilians ready to help their fellow citizens during an emergency.

•World-Class
Emergency Response Network: The state will create uniform
training and protocols for all emergency personnel, including a
SUNY/CUNY program certificate for all emergency workers in the state.

•Specialized
Training for the National Guard: To build on the vital role that
the National Guard plays in emergency response, Cuomo proposed
providing additional specialized training in key emergency response
areas like power restoration, search-and-rescue, heavy equipment
operation, crowd management and public safety where the Guard's
scale, skills and equipment can have a unique and powerful impact on
restoring power faster, saving lives and other critical areas.

•Statewide
Volunteer Network: To capitalize on New York's spirit of
volunteerism, the governor proposed creating a statewide volunteer
network to mobilize and organize volunteers based on their skills,
interests and resources.

•Civilian
Emergency Response Corps: To ensure that the necessary skills and
expertise are available and can be mobilized to effectively support
rapid restoration of essential services and infrastructure, the
governor proposed a civilian emergency response corps made up of
technical and trades personnel - including electricians,
pipefitters, line workers, landscapers, public works personnel, civil
engineers and debris removal tradespeople - who can be trained,
certified, credentialed and deployed to perform disaster response and
recovery related tasks as part of a well-coordinated
public/private-sector partnership.

•Private
Sector Emergency Response Task Force: The governor proposed
creating a standing task force made up of chief logistics officers
from key industry sectors that will create a plan in advance for the
distribution of food, water and other supplies and execute the plan
in a declared emergency.

•Citizen
Education Campaign: The campaign would focus on preparing all New
Yorkers as "in-house first responders."

•Ensure
that Vulnerable Populations Can Receive Help in an Emergency: The
use of voluntary and effective vulnerable population databases will
be expanded so first responders, outreach workers and health care and
human services personnel can find and serve those who may need
assistance before, during and after emergencies, including senior
citizens, persons with disabilities, infants and children, and people
with chronic medical conditions.

•Communicating
with New Yorkers in an Emergency: Cell phone networks and other
communications systems must be strengthened to ensure that first
responders and citizens never lose the ability to communicate fully
and instantly. In addition, New York will develop a program to allow
mass text messages to be sent to all wireless phones in a chosen
geographic area. In addition, the state will explore establishing a
one-stop disaster recovery communications hub that is integrated with
social networking, mobile messaging and chat tools - using all
available means to reach New Yorkers.